The present invention relates to fluid dispensers, and more particularly to comestible fluid dispensers and dispensing methods in which comestible fluid is supplied to the dispenser from bottles or other comestible fluid containers releasably connected to the dispenser.
Fluid dispensers designed for dispensing fluid from relatively large bottles are familiar devices in multiple industries. Although the present invention is relevant to and can be used in many of such industries, the following description is directed toward the dispense of comestible fluid (and more particularly, toward the dispense of drinking water) by way of example only.
A very common type of comestible fluid dispenser is a water dispenser designed to hold a relatively large bottle in an inverted position. An example of such a dispenser is the bottled drinking water dispenser commonly found in office or work environments, normally used for providing a number of people with a supply of drinking water. Anyone who has placed a drinking water bottle into a dispenser of this type knows the shortcomings of this dispenser. Due to the bottle""s weight, the process of lifting, inverting, and placing the bottle in the dispenser is difficult at best, and can be messy and even dangerous. Therefore, other types of drinking water dispensers are often preferred.
To address the problems related to the inverted bottle water dispenser just described, some bottled water dispensers are designed to dispense water from a bottle that is not inverted. These dispensers normally employ some type of draw tube that is inserted into the bottle and that is connected to a pump for pumping water from the bottle to a dispensing tap, nozzle, outlet, and the like. Water bottles can be significantly easier to load in such dispensers. However, the draw tube, pump, and associated equipment can make dispenser setup and preparation for dispensing more difficult. For example, the draw tube is typically manually inserted in the bottle, the bottle is often connected to the dispenser, and the pump must often be primed before dispensing can take place.
Still other types of bottled water dispensers are designed with an emphasis on mechanized and automated setup and preparation for dispensing. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,096 issued to Ohu for example, a user operates a switch to rotate a pulley about which a flexible absorption tube is wound. By rotating the pulley, the flexible absorption tube is unwound and is lowered into the water bottle. A pumping device connected to the flexible absorption tube pumps water from the water bottle through the flexible absorption tube. Rotation of the pulley in an opposite direction by user operation of the switch winds the flexible absorption tube about the pulley and therefore withdraws the flexible absorption tube from the water bottle.
Although mechanized and automated devices such as the Ohu device eliminate much of the work of a user in water dispenser setup and preparation, these devices also have their shortcomings. An important feature of any water dispensing system is to avoid water waste by completely draining the water bottles connected thereto. Particularly in cases where the draw tube is flexible and may not be reliably and consistently positioned at the lowest point in the water bottle to draw all fluid therefrom, some draw tubes may not be well-suited to perform this operation. Also, to reliably and consistently position the draw tube in this manner, the device or mechanism employed to move the draw tube between its extended and retracted positions should be fully controllable. In addition, and for purposes of safety and appearance, this device or mechanism and the draw tube is preferably substantially or fully enclosed within the dispenser. For these same reasons, the dispenser most preferably presents no moving parts accessible to a user from outside of the dispenser (without the opening of a normally-closed housing, door, or other dispenser structure).
Despite the improvements in water dispenser designs over the past several decades, conventional water dispensers are still not fully automated, and require some degree of user control to complete dispenser setup and preparation for dispensing. A water dispenser fully operable by merely loading a water bottle in the dispenser (whether by being loaded in a housing or otherwise) and permitting bottle changeout with minimal user action has not existed prior to the present invention.
In light of the problems and limitations of the prior art described above, a need exists for a comestible fluid dispenser that permits quick and easy container loading and unloading, requires little to no user setup and in some embodiments requires no user setup at all after container loading, reliably and consistently locates a draw tube in the container to ensure full removal of its fluid contents, employs a draw tube extension and retraction mechanism that is fully controlled, and includes structure that substantially encloses such a mechanism. Each preferred embodiment of the present invention achieves one or more of these results.
The comestible fluid dispenser of the present invention preferably has a draw tube mechanism for extending and retracting a draw tube with respect to a bottle, a comestible fluid pump for pumping comestible fluid from the bottle through the draw tube, and a dispensing outlet through which comestible fluid is dispensed. The draw tube mechanism can comprise a wide variety of devices, but most preferably is a rack and pinion set to which the draw tube is connected. Movement of the rack and pinion set generates movement of the draw tube with respect to the bottle. By preferably employing a substantially rigid draw tube as opposed to the flexible draw tubes of the prior art, the draw tube is consistently positioned to draw comestible fluid from the bottom of the bottle, thereby drawing substantially all comestible fluid from the bottle and reducing waste.
In some highly preferred embodiments, an arm is connected at one end to the rack and pinion set and at another end to the draw tube. More preferably, the arm connects the rack to a collar coupled to an end of the draw tube. Therefore, as the rack moves by rotation of the pinion, the draw tube connected thereto moves with the rack. This manner of draw tube connection and movement provides for repeatable and reliable location of the draw tube end with respect to the bottle (and more specifically, with respect to the bottom of the bottle).
Preferably, the rack and pinion set or other reciprocable device is driven by a motor which can be stopped and started by triggering one or more sensors detecting the position of the rack, draw tube, or other element of the draw tube mechanism. These sensors preferably transmit one or more signals to stop the motor when the rack (or other element of the draw tube mechanism) has completed its movement to a retracted or extended position. The rack and pinion set preferably provides substantially linear movement of the draw tube mechanism into and out of the bottle. Of course, other actuators and actuation mechanisms can be employed to drive the draw tube into and out of the bottle with the desired substantially linear movement. Such devices can be used instead of or in addition to a motor and a rack and pinion set, and include without limitation pneumatic or hydraulic actuators, motorized track or rail assemblies having shuttles, lugs, carriages, arms, or other elements movable therealong in any conventional manner, magnetic rail assemblies, and the like.
Comestible fluid is preferably pumped from the draw tube through a flexible fluid line by a pump. The flexible fluid line permits movement of the draw tube relative to the pump. The dispenser of the present invention also preferably has a reservoir in which comestible fluid can be held after being pumped from the bottle but before being dispensed from a dispensing outlet. The reservoir is preferably cooled with a heat exchanger and fan to cool comestible fluid prior to dispense. Comestible fluid is preferably pumped from the reservoir to the dispensing outlet through a fluid line and dispensing pump.
In some highly preferred embodiments, comestible fluid is pumped by the pump from the bottle to the reservoir for cooling and can also be pumped through another fluid line directly to the dispenser outlet for the dispense of comestible fluid at room temperature. For this purpose, a controllable valve can be connected to the output of the pump to direct comestible fluid to the dispensing outlet or to the reservoir.
Some preferred embodiments of the present invention provide for partial or full automation of the draw tube mechanism. Specifically, the motor driving the draw tube mechanism can be actuated directly by one or more sensors or controls or indirectly by a dispenser controller. For example, one or more sensors can be connected to a door of the dispenser housing to detect when the door is opened and/or closed and to automatically actuate the motor to move the draw tube to its extended or retracted position. Preferably, closure of the door automatically causes extension of the draw tube in preparation for comestible fluid pumping therethrough, while opening of the door automatically causes retraction of the draw tube to permit removal of the bottle. In other embodiments, one or more sensors can be positioned to detect the presence or lack of a bottle in the housing and to respond by automatically causing extension or retraction of the draw tube, respectively (upon closure of the housing door or otherwise). In other embodiments, one or more sensors detect whether the bottle is in position to receive the draw tube by detecting the position of a rack or other structure upon which the bottle rests. Still other embodiments of the present invention employ one or more user-manipulatable controls for user activation of the motor in order to extend and/or retract the draw tube upon user command.
Although any or all of the elements of the comestible fluid dispenser can be substantially or filly exposed, the comestible fluid dispenser more preferably has a housing that at least partially encloses (and more preferably fully encloses) the draw tube mechanism, pumps, reservoir, heat exchanger, fan, and fluid lines of the comestible fluid dispenser. Enclosing the comestible fluid dispenser elements in this manner not only presents a much more attractive appearance for the comestible fluid dispenser, but also shields users from moving parts such as the draw tube mechanism.
Some preferred embodiments of the present invention therefore provide an apparatus and method for dispensing comestible fluid with one or more of the following advantages: dispenser setup is significantly simplified and in some cases is not required at all, a draw tube mechanism can be employed to insert and retract the draw tube with respect to a bottle, the draw tube is controlled for consistent and repeated extension to a desired low position in the bottle to enable substantially complete dispense of the bottle""s contents, and dispenser operations can be partially or fully automated. More information and a better understanding of the present invention can be achieved by reference to the following drawings and detailed description.